SANDUSKY, Ohio (Sept. 11, 2023) – Boater Alex Redwine of Cincinnati, Ohio, caught 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio. The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division. Redwine earned $6,121 for his victory.
“I didn’t really know how the first day was going to go, because it was very windy,” said Redwine. “There was a lot of north wind making 4- and 5-foot waves, and it took me a while to get to my area where I was fishing. Once I got there, I was able to bounce around three places where I caught key fish.
“Day 2 was a lot calmer and there wasn’t as much sun, which made the bite a little more difficult,” Redwine went on to say. “I was still around the right size of fish; I just couldn’t get them to bite as well. I did find one new area where I caught two or three key fish.”
Redwine said he focused his efforts on an island and fished 15 to 25 feet deep and targeted patches of rock or isolated boulders where baitfish were present. He said he switched between a Ned rig and a drop-shot rig to catch his bass.
“I thought once I got over 20 pounds that I had a pretty good shot at winning and guys would have to really catch them to beat me,” Redwine said. “The guy that came in second by one ounce, Jeremy, is a long-time best friend of mine, so that was pretty cool for us to finish 1-2. We’ve both put a lot of time on the water here, and for us to both do really good was just awesome.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Alex Redwine, Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 bass, 43-9, $6,121
2nd: Jeremy Reese, Powell, Ohio, 10 bass, 43-8, $3,560 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Dick Parker, Lorain, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-3, $2,291
4th: Sean Wieda, Alexandria, Ky., 10 bass, 36-14, $1,428
5th: Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio., 10 bass, 34-5, $1,724
6th: Chris King, South Amherst, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-15, $1,122
7th: Lawrence Clontz, Trenton, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-11, $1,020
8th: Dan Fry, Marysville, Ohio, 10 bass, 29-0, $2,088
9th: Bob Logan, Waynesfield, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-5, $816
10th: Dakota Stiltner, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-0, $714
Dan Fry of Marysville, Ohio, had a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $840. Douglas Shope of Arcanum, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $3,060 Sunday after catching a two-day total of nine bass weighing 34 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Douglas Shope, Arcanum, Ohio, nine bass, 34-14, $3,060
2nd: Tyler Land, Coatsville, Ind., 10 bass, 33-4, $1,530
3rd: Dayton Land, Coatsville, Ind., 10 bass, 27-8, $1,020
4th: Adam Radovic, Brecksville, Ohio, 10 bass, 24-11, $714
5th: Logan Kaplon, Rural Valley, Pa., 10 bass, 23-14, $612
6th: Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., nine bass, 22-14, $1,331
7th: Drew Crawford, Knightstown, Ind., 10 bass, 22-12, $510
8th: Walter Hammond, Lees Summit, Mo., eight bass, 21-12, $659
9th: Colten Didion, Port Clinton, Ohio, nine bass, 21-6, $408
10th: Dylan Sibley, Strasburg, Ohio, six bass, 21-2, $357
Terry Bucciarelli of Ypsilanti, Michigan, caught the largest bass in the Strike King Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the Big Bass Co-angler award of $420.
With the regular season now complete, boater Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, won the 2023 Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division Presented by Rabid Baits Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,266 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Steve Sorrell of Beavercreek, Ohio, won the 2023 Strike King Co-Angler Buckeye Division Presented by Rabid Baits AOY race with 1,276 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.